Holiday gifts can provide a tempting target for package thieves. Here’s what can be done about “porch piracy.” Veuer’s Matt Hoffman reports.
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00:00With holiday gifts piling up on our doorsteps, it's open season for the scourge of package theft.
00:05Also sometimes called porch piracy, package theft is a widespread issue,
00:09though exactly how widespread is hard to say.
00:12According to the AP, the FBI does not track statistics on this offense specifically,
00:16nor do most police departments.
00:18And retailers may be hesitant to share information they've gathered on the subject.
00:22Neil Saunders of the analytics and consulting firm Global Data told Vox,
00:26I don't think retailers highlight it too much because they want customers
00:29to feel confident in having things delivered.
00:31However, Postal Service data has shown a significant increase
00:34in mail theft complaints since the COVID-19 lockdowns.
00:37And different studies reported by the AP show that anywhere from
00:4014 to 26 percent of Americans have been victims of package theft.
00:45So it affects a whole lot of people.
00:47What can be done about it?
00:48If you're concerned your deliveries may not be safe,
00:50many companies offer pickup at store locations, or in the case of Amazon, lockers.
00:55UPS has developed a program called Delivery Defense,
00:58which uses AI to identify addresses which may be unsafe for deliveries.
01:02Congressperson and presidential candidate Dean Phillips has even introduced legislation
01:06to apply federal mail theft penalties to packages delivered by private carriers.
01:11For now, if you own your own home,
01:12you can get a doorbell camera to at least catch thieves in the act.
01:16And the Rochester, New York Police Department recently told local station 13WHAM
01:21that they recommend keeping in touch with your neighbors
01:23so that you can work together against the porch pirates in your area.